head to head · open source
Backlog.md vs nimbalyst
Backlog.md has 6,787 GitHub stars, 427 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. nimbalyst has 1,751 stars, 254 forks, 642 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Backlog.md leads on adoption by 288% (6,787 vs 1,751 stars). Backlog.md is written in TypeScript under MIT; nimbalyst is written in TypeScript under MIT. Backlog.md has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, nimbalyst 15%. Backlog.md was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (agentic-ai), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Backlog.md | nimbalyst | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.8K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 427 | ⑂ 254 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Backlog.md if
- You weight community size — 6.8K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick nimbalyst if
- You want the nimbalyst feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and nimbalyst fits your workflow better
About Backlog.md
Backlog.md is a Markdown native task manager and Kanban visualizer that turns any folder into a self contained project board. It lives in the Git ecosystem, written in TypeScript and released under the MIT license, and it is distributed as a zero config CLI alongside a terminal board and a local web interface. Every task is stored as a plain .md file inside the repository, so the project ledger travels with the code and remains readable to humans, teams, and AI agents alike.
read the full Backlog.md overview →
About nimbalyst
Nimbalyst is an open source visual workspace for Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, and other coding agents. It lives in the agentic coding ecosystem and brings sessions, worktrees, tasks, docs, diagrams, mockups, commits, and code into one desktop application. It is written in TypeScript, uses Electron, and is MIT licensed.
read the full nimbalyst overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Backlog.md or nimbalyst more popular?
Backlog.md has 6,787 GitHub stars and nimbalyst has 1,751. Backlog.md has the larger community by that measure.
Are Backlog.md and nimbalyst free?
Both are open source. Backlog.md is licensed under MIT and nimbalyst under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Backlog.md and nimbalyst?
Backlog.md is written in TypeScript and nimbalyst in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Backlog.md or nimbalyst?
Choose Backlog.md if you want the larger community (6,787 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose nimbalyst if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.